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My worktops are treated with Danish oil, and I appear to have got some on the tiled splashbacks and not noticed until it's cured (it's not very obvious except in daylight, I oiled by artifical light).

Is there any way to get it off? I don't want to use a blade until I've got an idea of how to get the residue off where the blade won't attack it.

It's not going sticky, so not a duplicate of How to solve the problem of sticky Danish oil?.

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Mineral spirits won't work. You need something stronger like acetone. If you have ceramic tiles they won't be harmed.

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I finally got round to experimenting. The following had no effect at all even combined with elbow grease:

  • white spirit (mineral spirits)
  • petrol (zippo fuel)
  • WD40

These - with rubbing - removed the cured oil. In subjective order of increasing effectiveness:

  • methylated spirits
  • 100% acetone
  • cellulose thinners

It is of course possible that there was a cumulative effect (I only worked on a small test patch). I'm sure soaking would help but that's not useful on a vertical surface above a worktop treated with the same stuff.

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I would trying using Mineral Spirits with a scrap piece of cloth or a toothbrush/brush to scrub if need be. Mineral Spirits is used to clean brushes and other finishes from other things, so this may be something to try.

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  • For those of us the same size of the Atlantic as me, that's white spirit. I'm sceptical given how little it does to set paint, but there's a spot that's easy to test, even to soak so I'll give it a go. – Chris H Jan 29 '16 at 19:59
  • Maybe I am under minding the strength of Danish oil, but is it honestly that difficult to remove? Isn't it just an oil that will penetrate wood and not other harder materials? – Markpelly Jan 29 '16 at 21:12
  • The key is it's a drying oil, which means it undergoes a chemical change (oxidation). It's like linseed oil in that respect. In fact I think linseed oil is a major ingredient along with waxes and a solvent to increase penetration (IIRC). A solvent that will dissolve the uncured oil may well not affect the cured oil at all. – Chris H Jan 29 '16 at 21:23
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    Having finally tested it, white/mineral spirit had no effect even with a good scrub. – Chris H Mar 12 '16 at 11:31

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